You’ve seen them everywhere — YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram. 

Subscription boxes are the newest and easiest way to branch out and experience new foods, drinks, beauty products and more, without leaving the comfort of your home or dorm room. I decided to take the plunge and try out five different subscription boxes that I thought would be useful to a 21st-century college student. Here’s what I thought.

The Bean Box

The Bean Box is a Seattle-based coffee subscription box service that delivers freshly roasted Seattle coffee to your door every month. The packaging is urban and modern with a graphic of the Seattle skyline on the inside of the box. The box includes four 1.8 ounce samples of different types of coffee. My box came with coffee from Seven Coffee Roasters, Broadcast Coffee Roasters, Ladro Roasting and Lighthouse Roasters. Inside you can also find a little treat like toffee or coffee-flavored candy!

Overall, this box was well put together and was a great way to experience new coffee. They even print the coffee bean’s roasting date on the packaging so you know just how fresh the coffee really is! Let's be real, what college student doesn’t need coffee? If I were you, I would subscribe to this $17-a-month subscription and never worry about where your next caffeine high will come from again.

GlossyBox

The Glossy Box is a subscription box service that delivers five deluxe-sized beauty products to your doorstep each month. This was by far one of the most beautiful boxes I reviewed. In my opinion, the gorgeous, pink box alone was worth the $21 cost of this subscription. If you aren’t as easily impressed by packaging as I am, I assure you that the products in this box will make your inner goddess very happy.

My box consisted of Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner ($20), Resveratrol Merlot Moisture Day Cream ($146), Luxie Beauty Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush ($16.00), I Love… Cosmetics Hand Lotion ($6) and Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick ($21).

After trying each product, I was impressed with the quality. I have very sensitive skin, and none of these products caused me any problems. I would highly recommend this box for those of you who love beauty products and are interested in expanding your horizons when it comes to brand names. Subscribe here, and prepare to be dazzled.

The Handy Box

The Handy Box subscription service delivers useful tools and gadgets to help customers complete projects of any size. Out of all of the boxes I reviewed, The Handy Box was probably my favorite. The sheer simplicity and simply “handy” nature of this subscription made it something that I would love to have.

While its target audience is probably the men among us, I think that it is particularly valuable for college students. Without my dad’s toolbox to steal from, I’m usually fixing the loose screws on my kitchen cabinets with a butter knife. So I was extremely happy when my Handy Box included a 31-in-1 screwdriver set, a circuit tester and a set of crescent wrenches. While the price is steeper than the others at $28 per box, the various items make it worth it. Subscribe here, and finally tackle some of those DIY projects you've admired on Pinterest.

Wantable

The Wantable box was the first subscription box I received. I was beyond excited to see the variety of brands included and how I could use the items with different looks. The packaging was simple and nice. When subscribing online, you can pick between a fitness box, a style box, a makeup box and even an accessory box. I chose the fitness box, which included seven items. They arrived in a white box with a Wantable sash wrapped around them holding everything together. I genuinely loved all the pieces I received. Each product was made of a soft breathable material for intense workouts or staying cool during day to day activities. Inside were two sports bras, one pair of joggers, one pair of leggings and three shirts.

Instead of paying one price upfront, you only pay for the items that you keep. This is a nice perk -- especially when you can’t try things on prior to ordering them.

The danger of this box is definitely the 5-day return policy. In the busy life of a college student, replying to a text can take days. So returning clothes on time might be a problem for some. I decided to keep all my items because the quality was great, and I could tell the stylist kept my required style quiz in mind. If you’re looking to spice up your wardrobe, I suggest you subscribe here.

RocksBox

The reviews on the RocksBox were phenomenal, so when it arrived (in an adorable blue box sealed with a light pink bow) I was impressed before I even opened it! The items were wrapped in tissue paper, and there was a note addressed to me on top. As far as the products go, the rose gold Kendra Scott necklace stood out the most to me. The box also included a cute gold bracelet and a pair of blue and gold earrings. Personally, I wouldn’t have picked the earrings for myself, but after trying them on, their statement style grew on me.

You can keep this $19 box for as long as you want without any additional fees which makes it completely worth it! The well-known brands and staple pieces included made this box exciting, and the return policy was a bonus! Try these trends out here.

Any of these boxes stand out to you? Any others you think we should cover? Comment below or message us on social media @AuburnCampusRec.

Be well, Auburn.

Photography: Jack P.